Love in the Meadows
by chartreuseputty
Summary: A Shikamaru x OC one-shot.


This is a requested love one-shot from a friend. Just to make clear, in all of my one shots the information sent to me was about what kind of story, the personality looks etc of an OC character that the requester created themself, and with whom from Naruto this character will interact. Enjoy!

Love in the Meadows

On her way into the center of town, Terra entered the meadows and gazed across the greenery swaying gently in a noon-time breeze. She sniffed at the air and smiled, then started skipping along the pathway, intent on enjoying this little respite in the midst of a busy week. She had been neck deep in all sorts of trivial missions, ones that some of her ninja friends scoffed at, but she believed it was the little things that helped people the most.

As she skipped by she couldn't help but start to whistle.

"Jeeze, and I was just about to fall asleep."

She stopped short and gazed into the overgrown grass to find Shikamaru lying on his back with a sour expression on his face. She stopped skipping and leaned down, her shadow blocking the sunlight from his eyes.

"Gomen Shika-kun! But you know, watching the clouds is pointless if you don't enjoy it."

Shikamaru furrowed his brows. "I am enjoying it," he replied.

Terra giggled and the flustered boy below her. "Well, it doesn't seem that way to me. Smile Shika-kun, it uses more muscles to frown than to smile."

She stood up then continued skipping off down the pathway, leaving Shikamaru to his cloud watching.

……………………………………………..

Terra was off daydreaming when Sasuke bonked her (gently) on the head. "Stop daydreaming. You need to focus more on your training."

Terra rubbed her head. "Ouch Sasuke-kun, don't be mean."

Sasuke scoffed at her and started pacing back and forth in front of the park bench. The Fifth had instructed Terra to stand by and wait for another mission and Sasuke offered to wait with her. She knew he'd rather be off training somewhere but they hadn't been able to spend much time together because of Terra's busy schedule. She was sitting cross-legged on the in front of the Academy, watching the young students playing on the swing-sets, laughing and showing off their newly learned skills.

"Why do you take all these easy missions?" Sasuke asked angrily after a few moments of silence. "It's only hindering your progress."

Terra shook her head at him. "Somebody has to do them. Besides what's so bad about helping people with things that don't require fighting?"

Sasuke grumbled and kicked at the ground.

No one quite understood the friendship between the gentle Terra and chronically angry Sasuke. In fact, because of their friendship Terra didn't have many female friends, because all of them were jealous, and sure that she was after Sasuke. It was, however, not the case.

"You're a very kind person," Sasuke mumbled, too quietly to hear. Perhaps the other girls' fear wasn't completely incorrect though, and was simply the other way around. But even if that was so, he would never admit to it in a million years.

………………………………………………………..

Terra was lucky because the next day she was free all morning with her first mission in the afternoon. One again she skipped through the meadows on her way into town. She was so busy dreaming about warm tea and cake at midnight (her secret pleasure) that she passed right by Shikamaru who was lying in the same spot as the day before. Though his eyes were closed, he was wide awake, and when she passed him by without saying a word he felt a twinge of sadness.

When Terra reached the center of town she knocked upon the door of a crumbling flat. After a long pause an old woman came to the door.

"My, my, aren't you a cute one." she said.

Terra blushed. "I'm here to help you move your things," she replied ad bowed.

The old lady ushered her inside and indicated a room full of boxes. "I so sorry, some of them are quite heavy, but I didn't have enough money to request more help."

"I'm sure we'll figure out something," Terra said, though she looked on the boxes uncertainly.

Sometime around sunset Terra was struggling with the very last box. She had been trying to move it for hours but it was simply too big for her to lift. But she refused to give up, knowing the poor woman wouldn't be able to afford any more help. She wiped the sweat off her brow and leaned against the box when she heard someone clear his throat.

Shikamaru was standing in the doorway. "I heard a commotion coming from the house. You sure do make a lot of noise," he said, and mumbled 'troublesome'.

Terra never let Shikamaru's comments get to her. He was like that all the time. Besides, if he were any different than she wouldn't feel for him the way she did. The world was a happy place, and no one-sided love could dampen her spirits. Right?

"Gomen, Shikamaru-kun," she said and looked at the ground.

Shikamaru waited by the doorway, hands in his pockets, for a few moments before he broke the uncomfortable silence. "Well, aren't you going to ask me for help? You can't move that box by yourself."

Terra was silent, lost in her musings about everything, especially about and brown haired shinobi in front of her, who was the exact opposite of her but the one who had managed to grab hold of her heart and was currently squeezing it to death.

"Do I really…seem like the sort of person who wouldn't help?"

Terra snapped her eyes up to the doorway. Shikamaru was looking down at the floor and making circles in the dust with his shoe. Terra rushed forward to comfort him, as her brain was wired to do, but stopped before hugging him.

"N-no, Shika-kun! It's just I…" she started to stutter incoherently and heard Shikamaru smirk.

"Wow, I never heard you stutter before. It's alright, never mind what I said. Let's get this box out of here, ne?"

Shikamaru was beaming at her and Terra forgot all of her ominous thoughts and smiled back. With his help the box was moved in no time. The old lady thanked her and her "cute friend" as she called him and then they waved goodbye.

"See you later!" Terra sang and skipped away, leaving Shikmaru staring after her as she disappeared into a bloody sunset.

…………………………………………………..

The tea kettle began to scream and Terra quickly hushed it, afraid she would wake her parents who were sleeping in the next room. Then she pulled a piece of pound cake from the fridge and poked at it with a fork. She sighed.

The black and white kitten clock on the wall dinged, signaling Konoha had entered twilight, and Terra looked up at its plastic shifting eyes. Suddenly, she felt an irresistible urge to sneak through the front door and run to the meadows. How beautiful it must be, lit up by moonlight, quiet and alone. She quickly finished her snack and exited the house, running silently and barefoot through the streets until she reached the meadows.

She was right, that it looked more beautiful at night, but it wasn't empty. Down a little ways someone was sitting on a rock. The figure raised its arms and yawned loudly, scratched his head, then rolled off the rock to plop onto the ground. Terra smiled.

"Hoy, Shika-kun!" she shouted and ran towards him. "You had the same idea as I did," she said looking down on him and smiling.

Shikamaru was shocked and stared up at her openmouthed.

"I was up eating my midnight snack and I thought I felt something calling me here. Weird, isn't it?"

Shikamaru blushed deeply, grateful that the night was dark enough to hide it, because he had been thinking about the kind kunoichi from the meadows. Though he knew it was impossible, he thought that maybe she had heard him.

"Have a good night Shika-kun. I'll leave you alone to your thoughts."

She turned to go but Shikamaru sat up and grabbed onto her leg. "Wait!" he said rather loudly. "Though it's rather troublesome, you could stay here…with me. I don't mind."

Terra was overjoyed and plopped down on the ground next to Shikamaru who frowned and started mumbling as he lay back down on the grass. Terra was too happy to realize that the brown haired shinobi never allowed anyone to encroach upon his sky-gazing, sometimes not even Chouji was invited.

"You're a very kind person," he said softly, but the night was quiet enough that Terra could hear it.

Shikamaru tentatively placed his hand over hers and she squeaked, causing him to chuckle slightly despite how nervous he was. "A-ano, I like watching the sky with you here. Though it's less peaceful I feel happier," he said, wondering what on earth he was saying. "But I understand if you don't feel the same!" he added quickly.

Considering Shikamaru was a genius he was surprisingly bad as expressing his feelings. But Terra knew how to read people well. She was full of cake and warm tea, and the night was so cool and peaceful that she was able to lay beside the other nin without any twinge of nervousness. "I feel happier when you're around too," she replied.

"You mean you can be happier than you already are?" Shikamaru asked and sat up, shocked.

Terra laughed. "I can."

They continued to watch the stars that night, sending their feelings as unspoken words across to each other through the connectedness of their hands. Shikamaru mustered up the courage to lean over and kiss her sweetly on the lips, but Terra had already fallen asleep. She tasted like sugar and tea.

He sighed, picked her up, and brought her back to her house.


End file.
